Story of My Life - Closing the Chapter in Korea

Packing up the two years of my life in Korea is extremely difficult. There has been so many memories in Korea that I am not ready to let go of. Lately, I've been reading a lot of articles along the lines of "things to do before you die, how to chase your own happiness, how to live life with no regrets, what to do in your 20s" and I realized that I am grateful for this opportunity I was given to move to Korea.

I'm not saying that everyone should  move to Korea, I mean some bad things has happened to me here as well, but the good outweighs all of the bad. For starters, I put on a TON of weight, literally 25 pounds (12 kilograms) and that's because Korean food is amazing! The price, value, taste, and service you get here beats everything back in New York about ten folds. My favorite dishes which I am probably going to load up on before leaving is Korean fried chicken, Dakgalbi (spicy chicken stir fry), Galbijjim (marinated meat), and of course the tons of amazing street food that I just can't get enough of. Yes, I think this explains the 25 pounds I put on. At least everyone is being supportive and telling me to lose it when I get home because I might not get another chance to experience this!

 

In addition to the amazing food in Korea, the culture and lifestyle is amazing. On a personal note, because I don't drink, I can't enjoy it to the max like some of my friends have. Still, Korea is full of explorations from city to city, amazing views for morning hikes, and of course the booze. You'll find the older generation drinking on hiking trails and offering you a sip of their magkeolli (Korean rice wine) and gladly chat it up with you on the trails. They are extremely friendly and it makes life here that much more fun.

One thing that I'm really going to miss is the safety issues in Korea for the very reason that there aren't any. Korea is so safe and trusting in one another that stores keep their goods outside without any supervision. Koreans are least likely to steal, even if someone is passed out drunk on the streets. The person can have a cell phone in their hand and their wallet on the floor, no one would actually go over to pick pocket them. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about many places back at home.

Lastly, the friendships and bonds that I have made here is something that I am definitely not ready to leave. It's funny how some people say they hate it here and that sticks to the heads of others, but they're oblivious about how many good people they meet here. I have met so many great people here, locals and foreigners, that it makes leaving this life difficult. It may be ironic to say, but of all the foreign teachers that I have met in Korea, I am the second to officially leave from our core group of almost ten. In fact, the first person to officially leave our group was just last term and my friends who are still here, signed another year. This means they're going into their third year!

Now who would actually invest three years of their time to a horrible place? Money can only take you so far, but it goes to prove that Korea is an amazing place. Friends are constantly renewing their contracts and not even leaving the branches for another. They love the branch that they work at and build relations with others that go beyond their life in Korea.

Korea has been the place where I have started and fulfilled most of my bucket checklist before I die. No matter what bad has happened, the good has outweighed all of it. I am sad to leave, still indenial that I am leaving, but I just might come back one day! For now, traveling around and then making my way back to Seoul to say my final goodbyes.